Mount Sinai’s Maaike van Gerwen, MD, PhD, is leading research into a possible link between per-fluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” and thyroid cancer, with a goal to develop effective interventions and influence policies and regulations that remove these chemicals from the environment. Among the findings, her team discovered that exposure to a certain PFAS was associated with a 56 percent increased risk for thyroid cancer.